I’m Mariko (38). Back when our son, Yuma, was still little, something happened with my husband, Yoshihiro (38), that left me feeling an unforgettable mix of bitterness and heartbreak. He might have completely forgotten about it, but I can’t let go of that resentment. Even now, there are days when the flashbacks hit and I just can’t shake the feeling off. That day, we were supposed to watch a sports game with my in-laws and then head to a restaurant. Carrying Yuma since morning had given me terrible blisters. While I stopped to put on a bandage, I lost sight of my husband and his family—and got completely left behind.
After losing sight of my husband and his family, I called him over and over, but he never picked up. Then my phone battery died, and with my feet throbbing, it took me at least 30 minutes just to hunt down a convenience store.
Normally, if your wife and kid who were walking right behind you suddenly disappear, you look for them, right? The fact that he didn’t even check his phone showed that Yuma and I had been completely erased from their minds—and that broke my heart.
When I finally dragged myself to the restaurant, they just acted like, “Finally showed up, huh?” Not a single person had worried about us at all.